Choosing the Whole Enchilada—Vista Ultimate

You can use Tables 1-2 through 1-5 to compare those features of the lesser Vista versions that come together in Microsoft’s priciest product: Vista Ultimate. To get it, you’ll pay a list price of $60 to $100 more than Vista Business or $100 to $160 more than Home Premium. Without knowing what your specific needs may be, it’s impossible for us to say whether you’ll want or need this enormous package. As we stated previously, the only serious reason to pay extra to get Vista Ultimate is if you absolutely must have two features, one of which exists only in Home Premium (such as Windows Media Center) and the other of which can only be obtained in Business or Enterprise (such as domain login). At the time of this writing, Microsoft promises to release a number of add-ons called the Windows Ultimate Extras. These weren’t well defined at all, however, when we went to press. You’ll have to be the judge of whether these extras are worth anything to you or your business. Of course, you might purchase Vista Ultimate just because you want everything Microsoft has to offer, and cost is no object. If so—enjoy!

SummaryWindows Vista certainly offers a lot of choice when it comes to picking a product version, but with a little know-how, you will be able to make the right choice, one that matches both your needs and your budget. We’ve given you what you need to know to match a Vista version to your needs. Now, you just need to figure out how much the upgrade is going to cost. Remember that it’s often much cheaper to acquire a new Windows version with a new PC, so if you’re going to be buying a new PC, be sure to get the right Vista version at that time. We’ll look this option in Chapter 2.